Friction-clutch.



N. LOMBARD.

FRICTION CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FlLED MAY 18. 1912.

1,1 53,635. Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

which comprises a series of frictlon blocks E srarns iivnrrreninL LOMBAED, or wononsrnn, MASSACHUSETTS, Assroavon 'lO I-IOLYOKE MACHINE COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS.

rnro'rron-onnron.

Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented S t 14 1915 Application filed May 18, 1912. Serial No. 698,179.

IVorcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have inv'ented a new and useful Improvement in Friction-Clutches, of which the following is a specification, accompanied by drawings forming apart of the same.

My invention relates toa friction clutch concentrically arranged around the anisof a drum provided with a peripheral frictlon surface.

' pensate for wear.

These objects, among others, I accomplish by the construction and arrangement of parts'as hereinafter described and set forth in the accompanying claims.

"Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 representsa front elevation of my improved clutch applied to rotating shafts. Fig. 2 is a side view shown in section on the plane of the broken line 22, Fig. 1. Fig.

3. is a side view showing the side opposite to that shown in Fig. 2, the shaft supporting one of the members of the clutch belng shown in sectional view on the plane of the broken line 3.3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail view of oneof the thrust links, partly shown in section to illustrate the means for adjustmentQ Similar reference charactersrefer to similar parts in thedifferent views.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my improved clutching mechanism as employed to communicate the rotary ino tion of one shaft to another in alinement therewith. Referring to Fig. 1, 1, 1 denote a pair of hangers forming a part of tlie'supporting mechanism in which the shafts are journaled. One of the shafts is represented at 2 and the second shaft at 3. In the construction shown I assume shaft 2 to be a rotating shaft whose motion is communicated to the shaft 3 by means of a clutching mechanism embodying my present invention. To the shaft 2 I attach a drum 4: having its periphery provided with a friction surface 5 concentric with the axis of the shaft 2. This drum is attached to the end of the shaft 2 by means of a key 6, or other suitable means. In alinement with the shaft 2 is the shaft 3 and to the end of the shaft 3 I attach a cylindrical frame 7 by means of a key 8, or other suitable means.

In the rim of the frame 7 I journal a series of short shafts 9. Preferably integral with one end of each of the shafts 9 is an arm 10 carrying in its free end a spindle 11 overhanging the drum 4. J ournaled on the S lIlCllQS l1 are'blocks' 12 which are prefera ly provided with'facings 13 of wood, or othersuitable friction material, which are curved concentrically with the friction surface of the drum 4- The blocks 12 are flexibly interlocked at their opposing ends by means of a tongue .14: on one end of each block, entering a groove 15 in the opposing end of the adjacent block.

the block, rather than atthe center thereof. The result of this arrangement is as follovvs:-With the clutch in disengaged position, the movement of the. short end of any blocktoward the drum 4 is accompanied by armuch greater movement of the long end thereof away from' the drum. Since the saidlong end is interlocked with the short .end of the next adjacent block, it follows that a movement of this amplitude is not possible. On the'other handif the blocks hindrance to the rocking of the blocks, on thelr pivots, and they would be liable to drag on the drum 4.

Attached to theopposite ends of the rocking shafts 9 are arms 16, having in their free ends ball sockets 17 adapted to receive the spherical tips 18 of thrust links 19. The thrust links 19 have their inner ends provided with a screw threaded hole 20 adapted to receive a screw threaded shank 21 of an eye 22, which is pivotally connected to lugs 23, 23 projecting radially from a collar 24 slidable on the shaft 3. The collar 24 is provided with a peripheral groove carrying a ring pivotally connected with a swinging shipper lever 25 in the usual manner in devices of this class. The eyes 22 are held from rotating by their pivotal connection with the lugs 23, but the thrust links 19 are hexagonal at their inner ends, as shown at '26, to receive a wrench by which they maybe rotated on the screw threaded shanks 21,

thereby enabling the link connections between-the arms 16 and the sliding collar 24 to be lengthened to compensate for wear between the friction surfaces of the clutch. Each of the screw threaded shanks 21 is provided with a check nut 27 to lock the links from rotation.

In order to connect the shafts 2 and 3 by means of the clutching mechanism, the collar 2a is moved by the shipper lever in the direction of the arrow 28, Fig. 1. The link connections between the collar 24: and the arms 16 normally stand at an oblique angle to the line of the shafts, as represented in Fig. 1, so that when the collar 24 is moved in .the direction of the arrow 28 the arms 16 will be crowded outwardly, thereby rocking the shafts .9 in the bearings of the frame and drawing'the blocks 12 inward toward the frictional periphery of the drum 1, thereby clamping the wooden facings against the surface of the drum. It is to be noted that the rocking of the shafts 9 in the manner above described causes movement of each of the blocks 12 in the direction of rotation of the driving member, which is indicated by the arrows 29, Figs. 2 and 3, thereby effecting the wrapping action of the blocks upon said member in the direction most advantageous to the effective engagement of the clutching surfaces. The frictional engagement of the wooden facings 13 with the drum will cause the rotary movement of the latter to be imparted to the blocks 12 and through the shafts 9 to the frame 7 and attached shaft 3. It will be obvious, however, that the conditions might be reversed and the shaft 3 be made the driving shaft whose rotary motion would be communicated in the same manner to the shaft 2.

The ball sockets 17 are made sufficiently large at their mouths to receive the spherical tips 18 of the links 19, which are then held from removal from the ball sockets by rings 29of Babbitt metal cast in internal recesses in the ball sockets.

.It is to be noted that in the movement of 'moving said shoes into frictional the collar 2% in the direction of the arrow 28, Fig. 1, the inclined links 19 impart to the arms 16 a gradually increasing thrust,

. the same into contact with the drum.

I claim:

1. In a friction clutch, a driving member and a driven member,one of said members comprising a series of shoes disposed in surrounding relation to the othermember, and

each of said shoes being pivotally supported at a point offset from its center, and means for constraining the opposmg ends of adJacent shoes to move toward or from said other member in unison. I

2. In a friction clutch, a driving member and a driven member, one of said members comprising a seriesof pivotally supported shoes disposed in'surrounding relation to the other member, the opposing ends of-said,

shoes being flexibly interlocked, and means for moving said shoes into frictional contact with said other member.

3. In a friction clutch, a driving member and a driven member, one of said members comprising a series ofqshoes, each of said shoes being pivotally supported. at a point offset from its center, and having a-flexible interlocking connection at each end with adjacent shoes of the series, and meansfor contact with the other member.

4. In afriction clutch, a driving member and a driven member, one of said members comprising a series of pivotally supported shoes adapted to be moved simultaneously into frictional contact with the other-memher, and means for constraining the oppos- NELLIE WHALEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

